Should I Move To
Roughly 76,119 people live in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Living here costs affordable relative to the rest of the country, 14% below the national average. Median rent runs about $933/mo; the typical household pulls in $48,776. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 68/100 — a B-, putting it at #27 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Scranton sits at 86 — affordable when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($933/mo against $48,776 median household income), housing eats roughly 23% of a typical paycheck — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Buying-side, the median home value is $125,700.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is four-season: roughly 84°F in summer, 28°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 47 inches. Very walkable in most central neighborhoods — daily errands rarely require a car. Air quality reads good (AQI 37).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Scranton is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 65/100 (grade C+) on the families profile. Strongest on walkability (89/100); weakest on job market (19/100).
For retirees, Scranton is one of the stronger US options. It earns 80/100 (grade A-) on the retirees profile. Strongest on walkability (89/100); weakest on job market (19/100).
For remote workers, Scranton is one of the stronger US options. It earns 82/100 (grade A-) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on walkability (89/100); weakest on job market (19/100).
For young professionals, Scranton is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 62/100 (grade C+) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on walkability (89/100); weakest on job market (19/100).
Scranton, Pennsylvania pulls a 68/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade B-), currently ranked #27 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Scranton's cost-of-living index is 86 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the affordable band — 14% below the national average. Median rent runs about $933/mo.
Four-season — summer averages around 84°F, winter averages around 28°F, with about 47 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 89/100. Very walkable in most central neighborhoods — daily errands rarely require a car.
Scranton has about 76,119 residents, 23% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 37.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Scranton head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how Scranton stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Scranton with other Pennsylvania cities scored on UrbRank.
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